


that one time donnie's dared to sneak into another college

by kitanthony



Category: Perception (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 03:13:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4505526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitanthony/pseuds/kitanthony
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Donnie gets dared by his fellow law students to sneak into the neighboring school. On his midnight adventure, he runs into another student, Daniel Pierce, who doesn't take kindly to people breaking in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	that one time donnie's dared to sneak into another college

It was around midnight when Daniel heard the loud _thunk!_ outside his dorm room. He tried to ignore it, but then he swore he heard footsteps. Knowing he wouldn’t get to back to sleep before he knew what the noises were, he slipped out of bed and grabbed a pair of pants.

Cracking open his door, he peeked out into the hallway. There was the unmistakable shadow of a person nearby, sneaking around. He opened the door a little further, just enough to be able to lean out. Despite his fear of the answer, he hissed out, “Who’s there?”

The shadow froze. Then came a voice grumbling quietly, “Aw, shit. This isn’t the girls’ dorms?!”

Then, footsteps could be heard coming down the main hall that connected to the one where Daniel’s dorm was located.

The person in the hallway started towards Daniel.

Daniel was afraid of where this was going.

“You’ve gotta let me in,” the stranger whispered as he got closer.

“Oh no, you got yourself into this,” Daniel started.

“Please! Help a guy out!”

Daniel could tell he was going to give in, if only out of stress from the situation. “Fine. But you owe me.”

“Yeah, yeah! Hurry!”

Daniel stepped back and let the stranger into his dorm room. He regretted it already, but it was too late. The door was closed and he couldn’t kick the guy out without getting in trouble too for letting him in at all. So, Daniel pulled a robe on over his jeans and t-shirt for a bit more comfort, and eyed up the stranger.

The boy was about Daniel’s age, probably a student too, wearing a hoodie with the Chicago White Sox logo on it. He made himself right at home, flopping into Daniel’s reading chair and looking around the place. His hands tapped and fidgeted on his legs.

“Who the hell are you, and why are you sneaking into my school at midnight?” Daniel demanded.

“The name’s Donnie,” the boy answered. “I’m a law student from a neighboring school. And I, uh, I’m here because of a dare.”

Daniel let out an annoyed breath. “There are so many things in there I could pick at, but let’s start with the dare. What exactly was it you were dared to do?”

Donnie glanced down like he was being scolded by a teacher. “I was told to sneak into this school and get a souvenir from a girl’s dorm. To prove I’d been here.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Typical.” He continued pacing back and forth. “And your plan now is…?”

Donnie shrugged. “Hang out here for a bit ’til it’s safe, then get the hell outta here?”

“A surprisingly good idea from someone who broke into a school and almost got caught immediately.”

Donnie fidgeted a bit more before breaking and asking, “So what’s with the interrogation? I mean you haven’t even introduced yourself.”

“Excuse me, I don’t think you get to ask questions when you’re the one breaking into other people’s schools at midnight and barging in on students.”

“Hey, I didn’t barge in on you. You didn’t have to let me in.”

“Oh so what was I supposed to do, leave you out there making a fuss so you could disrupt everyone else’s night too?”

“You could’ve let me get caught.” Donnie gave him a pointed look. “So what’s your name?”

Daniel glared at him for a long moment before answering, “Daniel.”

Donnie nodded. “Alright, well thanks, Daniel.”

“Don’t thank me, it makes me feel like I’m an accessory in this whole thing.” Daniel grabbed his electric teapot and plugged it in next to his desk, switching it on before grabbing his mug to put on the desk as well.

Donnie watched in silence as Daniel made his tea and sat down at his desk to drink it. “You’re not gonna offer your guest any?”

“I don’t have guests. And you are definitely not my guest even if I did. You are a stowaway if anything, and stowaways don’t deserve tea.”

“That’s fair, that’s fair.” Donnie crossed his arms. “Were you sleeping when I broke in?”

Daniel raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business, but I’ll tell you that yes I was sleeping before the racket you were making in the hall woke me up.”

“I’m sorry.” Donnie actually sounded genuine in his apology, much to Daniel’s annoyance.

“If you’re so sorry you disturbed me, why did you break in here in the first place?”

Donnie shrugged again. “It was a dare, I had to do it. Or else the others would think I was a chicken or something.”

“Oh and I’m sure that would be much worse than getting caught and expelled from law school.”

“Aw come on, Daniel, you know what guys are like. It sounded fun at the time. Besides,” he smirked, “I didn’t get caught, did I?”

Daniel heaved an irritated sigh. “You can probably leave now. So, off you go.”

“Wait, can I just use your bathroom really quick?”

Daniel threw another glare at him. “You have two minutes.”

“Aw fuck,” Donnie let out before hurrying to Daniel’s bathroom.

“And don’t touch anything!” Daniel called after him.

 

Donnie was out in under two minutes. He grinned at Daniel and reached out to clap him on the shoulder. “Thanks again, Daniel.”

Daniel cringed away from the touch. “What did I say about thanking me.”

“Oh, uh, what am I supposed to say instead?”

“That you’re leaving now?”

Donnie pursed his lips a bit. “Alright, well I’m leaving now.”

“Best news I’ve heard all day.”

Donnie flashed Daniel a grin and said, “Later, Daniel.” Then he snuck out of the dorm.

Daniel held himself back for about a minute before rushing to the bathroom to make sure nothing was moved or missing. He immediately wished he hadn’t waited when he saw one of his travel bottles of shampoo was gone. He went to his door and looked out into the hall just to be sure, but of course the thief had already disappeared.

“Damn that little creep.”

 

-

 

That little creep came back about a week later, a little earlier at night this time but still too late for social calls.

Daniel was just ready to get in bed when there was a light tapping on his door. He glared at it and wondered if the person would go away if stared hard enough.

_Tap tap tap._

Daniel moved to the door and listened.

_Tap tap tap_. This time there was a whisper, “Daniel? Daniel, it’s Donnie.”

“Go away,” Daniel hissed through the door. “I’m not letting you in this time.”

“Daniel, come on. Please?”

“No! You stole my shampoo!”

“I had to, I couldn’t go back empty-handed!”

“Leave me alone!”

There was a pause.

Daniel quietly hoped for the highly unlikely possibility that worked.

Then Donnie’s voice could be heard again. “Daniel, you gotta let me in, I think someone’s coming.”

“That’s not going to work this time, Donnie.”

“Daniel!” Donnie was starting to sound desperate so there probably was someone coming this way.

“No.”

“If you don’t, I’ll tell them you let me in before! Then we’ll both be in trouble.”

“No one would believe you and you can’t prove it.”

“I can!” Donnie insisted. “I have your shampoo in my pocket!”

Daniel glared at the door again. “I hate you,” he hissed as he let the other student in yet again.

Donnie grinned as he hurried in to safety. He made directly for Daniel’s reading chair and sat down with a sigh of relief. “Man, I thought I was really in for it that time.”

Daniel stood in front of Donnie and held out his hand expectantly. “My shampoo.”

“Oh yeah.” Donnie pulled it out of his jacket pocket and dropped it in Daniel’s hand.

Daniel eyed it suspiciously before tossing it directly in the trash can.

“Daniel!” Donnie said, sounding horrified. “That is perfectly good shampoo!”

“I’m not using it now that you’ve had your grubby little hands on it.”

“Oh come on! What, you think I tampered with it or something? I’m a sneak and a bit of a thief, but I’m not cruel.”

“I don’t care.”

“What a waste,” Donnie said dismally.

Daniel gave him a vexed look. “Just why do you care so much? And more importantly, why the hell did you come back?”

Donnie raised his eyebrows at Daniel, looking like he was trying to get out of trouble. “I just wanted to see your pretty face again.”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Be serious. Or I’m kicking you out.”

Donnie dropped the look and shrugged. “I got bored. And I wanted to return your shampoo to you. It looks expensive and organic, I thought you might want it back. If I had known you were just gonna toss it, I wouldn’t have bothered.”

“Are you telling me you risked expulsion yet again by breaking into my school just so you could return a 2 oz. bottle of shampoo?”

“Daniel, you’d better just accept the excuse, because I don’t have a third one for you.”

Daniel just shook his head. “You’re a moron.”

“So I’ve been told,” Donnie said. “Though my grades tell a different story.”

“Oh well of course they do, troublesome frat boys like you always have good grades. That’s why so many of you plague our schools.”

Donnie let out a laugh. “You’re funny.”

Daniel gave him a deadpan look.

Donnie’s smile didn’t waver. “So what are you up to?”

Daniel crossed his arms. “Well I was about to go to sleep, but that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen anytime soon.”

“You can go to sleep.” Donnie leaned back. “I’ll be really quiet and I promise not to prank you before I leave.”

“Are you kidding me, I am not sleeping with you in my dorm.”

“Well good, because I don’t wanna sleep with you in your dorm either.”

Daniel’s face screwed up in anger and mild embarrassment. “You know what I mean.”

“Aw come on, I’m just messing with you.”

“You’re annoying me, is what you’re doing. And you’re over-staying your welcome. You can leave any time now, the sooner the better.”

Donnie made a little _tch_ noise. “So rude. And to think I came all this way to do something nice for you.”

“I didn’t ask you to come back, and I certainly didn’t ask you to bring me shampoo I can’t use.”

“Yeah, but you did say I owed you last time. I thought maybe bringing it back would go towards that.”

“If I clear you of your debt to me, will you leave?”

Donnie looked at him sincerely. “If that’s what you want, yeah.”

“Good. You no longer owe me anything.” Daniel gesture to the door.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going.” Donnie stood. “Nice to see you again, Daniel.”

“The pleasure is all yours, believe me.”

Donnie grinned at him again. “Can I use your bathroom before I go?”

“Absolutely not. Get out.”

“Fair enough.” Donnie winked. “I’m leaving now.”

Once the door was closed behind Donnie, Daniel relaxed. He swore to himself he wouldn’t let that guy back in his dorm again, no matter what the risks. It wasn’t worth the trouble.

 

-

 

Unfortunately, the next time Donnie showed up, there was no door Daniel could put between them.

Daniel was sitting outside the school café with his friend Paul when he heard a voice from afar calling his name. He glanced around and spotted Donnie heading towards him. “Oh great,” he grumbled.

“Do you know that guy?” Paul asked.

“Unfortunately.”

Donnie trotted up to the pair. “Hey, I didn’t know you had other friends!”

“You and I are not friends,” Daniel corrected. “You snuck into our school in the middle of the night. Twice. I happened to be the unlucky guy who caught you.”

Paul raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t tell me about this.”

“Aw Daniel,” Donnie whined. “Why can’t you let that go? It’s in the past.” He stuck out his hand to Paul. “I’m Donnie, by the way.”

“Paul,” came the answer as Paul shook his hand curiously.

“Nice to meet ya.” Donnie looked back and forth between them. “Daniel really didn’t talk about me? That’s disappointing.”

“Yeah well sorry to break it to you, but the world doesn’t actually revolve around you,” Daniel snipped. “I have more important things to do than talk about the annoying law student who kept forcing me to let him hide in my dorm.”

“Oh please, I didn’t force you to do anything!” Donnie protested.

“You pressured me into it the first time and blackmailed me the second!” Daniel reminded him.

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to let me in,” Donnie insisted.

“Well trust me it’s not a mistake I’ll be making again,” Daniel stated. “So if you do come sneaking back in, don’t bother coming to my door. I don’t care what you say or do, I’m not letting you in again.”

Paul looked mildly uncomfortable. “Should I leave?”

“No,” Daniel said. “Donnie was just leaving.” He looked pointedly at the law student. “Weren’t you, Donnie?”

Donnie pouted at him. “Aw, but I came all this way to see you.”

“That was your mistake,” Daniel said, “not mine.”

“You know you can’t technically make me leave,” Donnie pointed out. “The school is public property even to people who aren’t students here, and it’s daytime. Which means anyone can wander in.”

“Even you,” Daniel said snidely. Then he added, “No, you’re right. I can’t make you leave. But if you don’t, I’ll leave. So either way I’m not gonna have to talk to you in a few minutes.”

“So I’ve still got a little bit of time,” Donnie said. “Cool.” He looked to Paul. “How long have you known our local homegrown curmudgeon?”

Paul blinked at him. “Since the start of our first year here. When did you meet him?”

“A few weeks ago,” Donnie said. “Is he always like this or am I just special?”

Daniel grumbled, “I’m right here, asshole. And trust me, you’re nothing special.”

Still, Paul answered, “I can’t say for sure, I don’t think I know of anyone who’s kept coming back this long when he doesn’t want them around.”

“Oh so he wasn’t like this when you first met him?” Donnie asked.

“No,” Daniel said. “Because unlike you, Paul wasn’t a complete moron and he didn’t annoy the hell out of me.”

Donnie shrugged. “What can I say, I’ve got a reputation I have to keep up.” He looked at his watch. “Well it looks like my time’s up.” He smiled. “Good to see you again, Daniel. And nice meeting you, Paul.” He then traipsed away back towards his own school.

“I am so sorry you had to see that,” Daniel said to Paul.

“I don’t mind,” Paul said. He paused before asking, “Are you sure you don’t want to try to get to know him?”

Daniel stared in disbelief. “Were you even paying attention? He’s a nuisance, he’s full of himself, and he’s completely inconsiderate of other people’s feelings. Why would I want to be around that?”

“Fair enough,” Paul concluded. Then he added, “He did leave within the time you gave him, though.”

Daniel looked even more surprised. “Are you…on his side?”

Paul raised his hands in surrender. “No, not at all. I was just pointing out what I noticed.”

“Trust me, Paul, Donnie is not worth my time.”

 

-

 

It was only a couple of days before Daniel heard the telltale sounds at midnight that someone was sneaking around the hall outside his dorm room again.

“God dammit, Donnie, I told you not to come back.” Daniel climbed out of bed and grabbed his emergency baseball bat. He wasn’t going to use it except to intimidate Donnie into leaving. He headed to his door and cracked it open, looking out into the hall.

Sure enough, there was a clear shadow of a person milling about.

“Go away, Donnie,” Daniel hissed. “You’re not coming in.”

“What?” a voice called back that didn’t belong to the law student Daniel knew. “I’m not Donnie.”

“Is someone there?” a third voice, that of an authority figure, rang down the main hall.

“Shit,” the stranger whispered. “Can I hide with you?”

Daniel groaned. “Why me.” He opened the door wider to let the second student to break into the school in his dorm.

“Thanks,” the stranger said.

“Don’t thank me,” Daniel said. “I don’t want to know your name, and you don’t get to know mine. You can stay here a few minutes until the coast is clear, but you’d better not expect anything from me if I see you again. Except maybe a baseball bat to the knees.”

“Woah, man, chill,” the guy said. “I don’t want to be here any more than you want me here.”

Daniel shook his head. “Right, of course not. Past experience has made me more cautious. Last time I let a stranger hide in my dorm, he got the impression that we should be friends or something and now he won’t leave me alone.”

“So I see.” The guy glanced around awkwardly. “From what Donnie said, I thought this was where the girl’s dorms are. Are you a girl?”

“No. Donnie probably lied because he didn’t want to lose the dare.”

“But he brought back a girl’s shampoo…”

Daniel bristled. “That was my shampoo, and it’s a non-gendered product which happens to be organic and not full of chemicals.”

“Jeez, sorry, I didn’t know.” The stranger raised an eyebrow. “So when Donnie said he was going to ‘sneak back to see the cute student again,’ he meant you?”

Daniel flushed and stammered, “I don’t know, I guess.”

“Huh. But you don’t like him.”

“I-I don’t see how any of this is your business. I think it’s time for you to leave.”

“Do you like him?” the student asked.

“Would you just go?” Daniel insisted.

“Not until you answer the question.”

“Hey I did you a favor letting you in here.” Daniel pointed the baseball bat at him. “Now get out. Before I force you out.”

“Alright, sheesh.” The stranger headed for the door. “I don’t know why Donnie’s so interested in you, you’re a total stick in the mud.” He left without another word.

 

-

 

The next day, Daniel was sitting in the shade outside the school with his crossword book when he spotted Donnie through the window into the neighboring law school. He glared at him.

Donnie must have felt Daniel’s eyes on him because he glanced around. When he saw Daniel, he grinned and waved.

Frustrated, Daniel gestured for Donnie to come outside.

Donnie obliged, approaching Daniel with his usual false swagger. “Hey, buddy, what’s up?”

“Don’t you ‘hey, buddy’ me. Just what is it you want from me?” Daniel demanded.

Donnie balked a bit. “What? You’re the one who wanted to talk to me.”

“I’m not talking about now, I’m talking about your- your friend!”

“What friend?” Donnie asked.

“You know what friend! The jerk who broke into my school last night, because you told him to come bother me!”

“I didn’t! Daniel, why would I do that?” Donnie looked offended

“I don’t know, you tell me! Maybe because you realized you weren’t getting anywhere on your own, so you sent a spy to try to convince me you weren’t so bad!”

Donnie scrunched up his face in confusion. “A spy? Hold on. Someone else other than me broke into your school and talked to you? Who?!”

“I told him not to tell me his name! After what happened with you, I didn’t want any more law students popping up every week!” Daniel took a breath and frowned. “Are you telling me you didn’t know?”

“Of course I didn’t know, Daniel! Why on earth would I send someone else to your dorm? You would kill me!” Donnie made a frustrated gesture with his hands. “I don’t know who was in your dorm last night. I’m sorry I keep bothering you, and I’m sorry I stole your shampoo.” He sighed and looked off to the side in defeat. “I’ll…I’ll look for the guy who did it if you want, tell him to leave you alone. And I promise I’ll do the same from now on.”

Daniel shook his head. “Wait, so if you didn’t do this… Why do you keep coming to see me?”

Donnie looked at him as if he had just danced the polka with a chicken. “Because I like you, Daniel. I thought this was our thing.” He gestured between them. “We banter, and then when I think you’re starting to get really mad, I leave.”

“How the hell is that a ‘thing’? What kind of ‘thing’ is that?!”

Donnie shrugged. “I don’t know! Maybe I just didn’t want to believe you really didn’t want me around!” He was clearly upset, and he gestured hopelessly. “I just wanted to get to know you. You’re funny and interesting and smart.”

“And cute,” Daniel added.

Donnie let out a surprised laugh. “What?”

“The guy who broke in last night told me, you said you’d met a cute student. I’m working off the assumption that you’ve only broken in and intruded upon one student in the last few weeks, but I suppose I could be wrong about that.”

“No, you’re not.” Donnie smiled somewhat bashfully. “Okay, maybe I said you were cute. You are! That’s not weird, is it?”

Daniel looked Donnie in the eyes and sighed a bit. “No, I guess it’s not. It certainly isn’t the weirdest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Point taken,” Donnie said. “So, are we cool?”

Daniel shook his head a little in disbelief and said, “Sure. We’re cool.”

Donnie broke into a grin. “Awesome. I’ll see you later.”

“Woah now,” Daniel stopped him.

“What?”

“That’s it?”

“What’ya mean?”

Daniel huffed, already embarrassed. “I mean. You’re just going to tell me you think I-I’m cute and leave? You’re not even going to ask me out?”

“Oh.” Donnie paused. “Oh! I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to or not.”

“Well how are you supposed to know unless you ask?” Daniel pointed out.

Donnie nodded. “Okay, yeah. Are you… I mean, do you want to go out some time? On a date? With me?”

Daniel smiled a bit, glad he wasn’t the only nervous one. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”


End file.
